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Ever since California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law requiring the state to achieve 75 percent recycling by 2020, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) wanted know more about how the statute would impact the environment and jobs sector.

The NRDC commissioned Tellus Institute to assess the potential for more jobs if the state does reach the goal. The findings in

From Waste to Jobs: What Achieving 75 Percent Recycling Means for California were more than encouraging-the plastic industry alone could create more than 29,000 jobs by then.

The NRDC put some of its findings into a colorful infographic that tells the story of what realizing the ambitious recycling goal would mean:

“California is already a leader when it comes to recycling, yet there is still so much opportunity to ensure this economic resource isn’t going to waste,” said Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist for the NRDC. “By recovering materials such as plastic, paper and metals, we can capture their value and grow a new labor-intensive industry.”